LOS ANGELES — An artery south of Los Angeles is closed indefinitely after a massive fire burned columns that supported the highway above.

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The fire started in storage lots under Interstate 10, also known as the Santa Monica Freeway, on Saturday morning and left twisted guardrails and blackened concrete, The Associated Press reported.

Repair timetable released

Update 11:47 a.m. EST, Nov. 14.: Gov. Gavin Newsom said the repairs to I-10 will take three to five weeks, the AP reported.

“This will not be a demo. We will not need to demolish and replace the I-10. We will continue the kind of repairs you’re seeing being done behind me and continue a shoring plan to shore up this site,” the governor said during a Tuesday news conference, KTLA reported.

Newsom said 100 columns that hold the deck were damaged in the blaze, but nine or 10 have severe damage, the AP reported.

“Angelenos, it’s good news the freeway will not have to come down,” Mayor Karen Bass said during the briefing. “So instead of months, we’re talking about weeks, as the governor mentioned, three to five weeks. But it’s still three to five weeks in Los Angeles for this freeway not to be in operation. We hope, as he said, there may be partial operation before that time.”

-- Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

I-10 freeway damage is not as bad as expected; more testing needed

Update 9:50 a.m. EST, Nov. 14: The damage caused by a massive fire to I-10 in downtown L.A. is apparently not as bad as initially feared, but more testing will be needed, according to reports from the L.A. Times after speaking to an engineer with Caltans who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Caltrans engineers met with senior management on Monday to provide an assessment of the damage, the engineer said.

“The results were very good,” the engineer said, describing “two ways to go forward contingent upon the damaged freeway being shored up and supported from underneath.”

In the worst-case scenario, the shoring will have to be replaced in stages -- one direction, then the other, so that lanes can be replaced and portions of the road left open to traffic. The better situation would be if the shoring can stay in place and repairs can be made without closing down any lanes, the engineer said.

“Caltrans has known about this for a long time,” the engineer told the Times. “They have permitted lessees to store flammable stuff underneath these freeways for decades.” He said there have been several fires in the last few years that affected columns, but inspectors could not get completely underneath the bridge to make a proper inspection “because of all the junk.”

-- Tom Ensey, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Newsom: Arson likely cause of fire

Update 7:10 p.m. EST Nov. 13: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the massive fire was likely caused by arson, according to The Associated Press.

During a news conference, Newsom said that a preliminary investigation revealed that “there was malice intent,” adding that the fire was “done and set intentionally.”

The Los Angeles Times, quoting two anonymous law enforcement sources, said that investigators were looking at arson as a possible cause.

In addition to pallets found under the highway, investigators allegedly discovered sanitizer accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic that helped fuel the blaze, according to the newspaper.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Original report: The fire covered eight acres of an industrial area, or about six football fields. More than 160 firefighters from over two dozen fire companies were on the scene to battle the blaze.

The fire destroyed parked cars and stacks of wooden pallets. It also damaged support poles for high-tension power lines, KABC reported. No one was hurt in the fire.

Hazardous materials teams worked Sunday to clean up the debris to allow engineers to inspect the damage to the highway columns and deck to determine if it can bear the traffic of 300,000 vehicles that travel on it daily, the AP reported.

“Remember, this is an investigation as to the cause of how this occurred, as well as a hazmat and structural engineering question,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference on Sunday. “Can you open a few lanes? Can you retrofit the columns? Is the bridge deck intact to allow for a few lanes to remain open again?”

Crews have to determine if the damage is cosmetic or structural.

“We’re seeing a lot of... concrete that’s flaked off the columns. The underside of the bridge deck may be compromised,” Caltrans spokesperson Lauren Wonder said, according to KABC. “It’s sort of a waiting situation right now. We don’t have an estimated time of opening but Caltrans wants to ensure that this bridge is safe to put traffic back on it.”

She added, “If it’s rebar, then we cannot put traffic load on there, and it may take a week... a month. It may take less time.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that recovery and repairs have already started.

“I want to ensure Angelenos that we are working night and day to make the repairs necessary to restore the freeway,” she said, according to KCBS. “This is not going to be resolved in one or two days. ... As we are learning the extent of the damage, we will keep you informed. But we need to stay together.”

There is no timeline as to when the freeway could reopen, so workers are being asked to work from home or take public transportation into downtown Los Angeles, as the traffic that normally would be on I-10 will be rerouted to other streets and freeways in the area.

Newsom has issued a State of Emergency to get funds and resources to help repair the damage, KCBS reported. He has asked that all state agencies overseeing the project work 24-7 to get the job done.

The mayor has been in touch with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He said the administration is ready to help, KABC reported.

Bass said that the city will be using a three-pronged approach to get the road open: a plan for commuters heading into the area, getting the road reopened as quickly as possible and keeping the public informed throughout the process.

Using areas under overpasses as storage is common in not only California but also across the country. California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin said that practice will be reevaluated after the fire.

The area was also a shelter for at least 16 homeless people who were evacuated, but there is no indication that the fire was started at the encampment.